om of these events. scott broom is live at the salisbury daily times to tell us what our team has learned. we must warn you some of the videos and language is disturbing. scott, what have you learned? >> reporter: well, it is disturbing. the videos you're about to see and the graphic instagram posts that were made that added fuel to the fire appear to show that there are racially motivated conflicts going on among at least some students at the steven decatur high school near ocean city, but not all students and administrators arrive at the same conclusion. again these images are graphic. this cell phone video captured a white student being attacked by two african american students in the hallway of steven decatur high school in berlin, maryland, january 21st. the n word is clearly heard in the exchange. the next day another fight in the mcdonald's parking lot. an african american is taking down a white rival. the white student was badly

injured. in the middle of this gasoline was poured on the fire. a racist instagram image was posted including swastikas, skulls, a noose and the phrase day of the rope hang them high and hang them slow. the user account said he was in auschwitz. after the salisbury daily times reported on this school officials reacted. here's the principal tom zimmer. >> it plays on people's emotions and feelings and hits them at the corps. if i am a young african american male being racially attacked through instagram, i want somebody to do something about it. >> reporter: zimmer said today the studented involved in the social media posting -- students involved in the social media posting and videos have had action taken but policy

prevents him from saying what those actions are. >> reporter: in an area of the school parking lot both white and african american kids call redneck row students reacted. >> they're not all racism. yeah, of course, some people. >> small amount. >> that are like that, but not everyone. >> reporter: we met this african american student in the mcdonald's parking lot. >> i myself feel like there's really nothing racially going on at the school. >> reporter: the distinction those kids are trying to make is they say the fights at the root of it had to do with provocations between individuals and that there are no random attacks going on at the school that are racially motivate, but late today we got a much -- motivated, but late today we got a much different view from the student who brought these instagram posts and videos to the attention of the news media in salisbury and tonight we'll hear from her and the student you saw injured in that fight is recuperating at

home, badly injured enough schoolwork is supplied to that student during his recovery. finally the sheriff's department at wooster county refused to comment whether or not they are investigating or have taken any actions against any of the students seen in these videos. live from the salisbury times newspaper on the eastern shore in maryland, scott broom, wusa9. a fairfax woman is facing new charges connected to a brutal hit and run. this happened in an arlington parking lot off columbia road. >> alexandria mendez not only hit two people but drug one of them several feet while bystanders pleaded with her to stop. >> reporter: i'm surae chinn in arlington. a woman in police custody allegedly hit several cars in this lot before the hit and run. >> she basically attacked two people with her car and almost killed one. that's insane. >> reporter: captured on surveillance video the suspect hit several cars. >> this one right here.

she hits this car right here. >> reporter: a mechanic runs out and tells the woman to stay put, but instead she puts her suv in reverse. >> now she's backing up. >> reporter: 40-year-old noor mustafa shaikh of the mk dealership was knocked to the ground. another woman was struck in the leg. >> that was just plain stupid just for hitting a car, no big deal. accidents happen. it's a facts of life. but running over a person knowing you're running them over, that's just vindictive. >> reporter: police say while several witnesses tried to stop 39-year-old alexandria mendez from leaving, that's when she ran over shaikh a second time. she was arrested at her home this morning. in arlington surae chinn, wusa9. >> mendez has been denied bond. she's charged with two counts of hit and run, malicious wounding and driving on a suspended license.

we have new information on the suspect in last night's amber alert. 26-year-old deare marquise denny faces a slew of charges in montgomery county. the high school resident punched the mother of his 5- month-old daughter before taking off with the baby from her poolesville home. denny is accused of making threats with a gun. he surrendered to police with the baby five hours later. she was not hurt and reunited with her mother. denny is behind bars in montgomery county. a traffic accident that happened at the worst possible time. those are the words of an atn agent talking about that mansion fire that -- atf agent talking about that mansion fire that killed six people in annapolis. investigators reveal today they know what caused it. >> reporter: i'm debra alfarone. fire investigators say if that christmas tree that was more than 60 days old was not in that mansion, this story could have a did he different ending. >> the investigation -- a very different ending. >> the investigation team

concluded the christmas tree and the furnishings was ignited. >> as a father of two, i cannot man the -- man the horrendous pain of losing two children. >> reporter: this video shows a watered tree on the right and a dried out tree on the left. investigators don't know if the tree at the pyle mansion was dry, but it was cut down over 60 days prior to that fire. >> this fire was the result of a tragic accident that occurred at the absolutely worst possible time, while the pyles and their grandchildren were sleeping. >> reporter: investigators did say there were smoke alarms in the home and they are working. they say they'll try to recreate the fire with a similar tree to see if they can learn exactly why this happened. in anne arundel county, debra alfarone, wusa9. >> and the boone and pyle families released a statement yesterday thanking everyone for helping them bring a small

sense of closure. we have an update on a bizarre story we brought you earlier this month. it involved a man and his family moving into a $1 million bethesda home police say he did not own. james crombie of kensington was arrested on charges of burglary, malicious destruction of property and attempted theft. montgomery county records show those charges have been dropped. crombie first told police his company bought the home for him in burning tree estates, but the original owner disputed that account and it's unclear what led to the charges being dropped. topper is tracking yet another clipper heading our way. >> could it mean more snow? tenacious top has the answers. >> most of the activity will be north of town, just a couple showers for us, not a huge deal. it will be cold tonight, 32 in leesburg already, 25 in gaithersburg, 30 at manassas and lows tonight in the teens as winds die down. we're looking at 16 in

sterling, 15 in leesburg and laytonville and 18 or 19 in rockville. we've got a clipper tomorrow, rain or snow shower. morning commute is fine, evening commute could have showers pushing through. behind it very cold friday and saturday and still tracking this mix coming from the south for super bowl sunday. i would go ahead and plan for some kind of winter precipitation sunday afternoon into sunday night. in the wake of that a very cold start to next week. come back. we'll talk more about the super bowl mix in a bit. still ahead on wusa9 the defense department says farewell to the outgoing defense secretary chuck hagel. >> plus pope francis has some parenting advice for all the dads out there, those stories

over 20 years 31 million students started college, but didn't complete a degree for lots of reasons. at devry university we believe there are also lots of reasons to finish. so we help you maximize qualifying credits you've already earned. so you can graduate sooner and get on to a great career. because whatever kept you from finishing before... all that matters is your reason to do it now. see more reasons to finish and get started at devry.edu. jordan said today it is willing to swap an iraqi woman on death row next change for a pilot held by isis.

that statement by a government spokesperson made no mention, however, of a japanese journalist who is also held by the extremist group. efforts to gain the release of those two hostages gained more urgency this week when isis deliver an ultimatum saying it will kill both men if that iraqi woman is not freed. she had been sentenced to death after trying but failing to detonate a suicide bomb in 2005. the defense department held an elaborate farewell ceremony today to honor outgoing defense secretary chuck hagel. president obama was joined by vice president biden as they thanked hagel for his service at ft. myer in virginia. hagel says he is very proud of his time as secretary of defense and expects to keep a low profile at the pentagon while remaining on the job several more weeks. u.s. attorney loretta lynch is seeking to become the first african american woman to serve as attorney general. she answered some heated questions today before the senate including the president's recent executive action to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. she said illegal immigrants

have just as much right to work here as american citizens adding certainly if someone is here regardless of status i would prefer they would be participating in the workplace than not participating in the workplace. pope francis offered his view on family life, specifically fatherhood. in his weekly address the leader of the catholic church said fathers often dedicate themselves to work and other interests and neglect family life. the pontiff warned many of the childhood problems we're seeing these days can all be traced back to absentee fathers. the pope made those remarks before thousands of faith favela at the vatican. pope francis promised to -- faithful at the vatican. pope francis promised to talk about the beauty of fatherhood last week. the obama's overseas visit left behind a bit of controversy. >> reporter: i'm bruce leshan in washington. disrespectful to an ally, a bold political statement or in big deal? lots of reaction on social media today to first lady michelle obama's decision to

leave her head uncovered while visiting saudi arabia. a flowing blue top covered her arms, but michelle obama's head was uncovered in saudi arabia where women are allowed out in public only escorted by a male relative and most shield their faces and remain hidden behind black robes. some saudis on twitter complained the first lady was immodest and at the airport some officials walked by without shaking her hand. the vast majority of the hundreds of comments on our facebook page defended her like mark bentley who said, "had she worn one, they would have eviscerated her for acting like a muslim instead of an american." and at the food trucks near the state department a lot of people felt the same way. >> i am very tired of the second guessing. she's our first lady. she knows what she's doing. >> i think she's very classy. >> i think it was completely appropriate for her. >> reporter: in washington

bruce leshan, wusa9. >> president obama avoided the issue of saudi human rights violations during this visit including the case of a blogger sentenced to 10 years and 1,000 lashes for advocating freedom, but some say the first lady engaged in a bit of fashion diplomacy. coming up on wusa9 what can brown do for you? hopefully not what this deliveryman did for one resident in houston. it's a little disgusting. we'll explain. >> i'm meteorologist topper shutt. high temperature 39 today, clear skies, calm winds, cold night ahead and tomorrow a little bitter, not quite as cold, temperatures in the low 40s downtown and maybe 38 in laytonsville, 39 in leesburg, but most of us will touch 40 especially in springfield, woodbridge, waldorf 42. we'll come back, talk about what the clipper will do to our evening commute tomorrow and a more important system on super bowl sunday.

the most visible relic of baltimore is still making past came crashing to the ground today. workers imploded the l blast furnace as part of the steal making industry over 100 years ago. the mill was closed and over 200 people lost their jobs. the demolition was part of a plan to redevelop the property. topper, this one is for

you, my friend. folks are hitting the links, but it's in iowa. temperatures there are just 1 degree shy of the record yesterday. at least two courses took advantage and opened up for business, but like most good things it is not going to last. temperatures dropped down to their average tomorrow and this weekend they're talking snow. always watching al tracking wusa9 first alert weather. weather -- always tracking wusa9 first alert weather. >> that was some brown grass golf there. >> delicious. that's a treat for them to be able to play golf in january. >> a treat for anybody. >> go back to the brown grass. don't you all like a little coating of snow to cover the brown grass? >> i'd rather have the brown grass. >> it's pretty. >> you don't mind working 18, 20 hour days when it snows? >> i don't. actually i kind of live for snowstorms. the thing is when you drive and it's not on the roads, it's on the grass covering the dead

grass. it's kind of nice. >> all right, dr. t. >> i digress. live look outside, high temperature 39, downtown, some folks sneaking into the 20s and the dew point is falling, 5. wow, that's a dry air mass. clear skies. we'll have call winds eventually. these northwest wind will die down. with that kind of a dry air mass temps will tank tonight. the headlines, colder tonight as wind diminish. we'll review temperatures at 11:00. we may see some single digits. some folks will have snow cover and that can add to the cooling. bus stop temperatures 14 to 30 about 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. yes, that's a big range. dry morning commute tomorrow but wet for some in the afternoon and evening rain and snow showers and arctic air returns friday. friday will be a day in the morning not so bad, temps in the 30s and windy. by the time you go home friday evening or go out friday night, temps are falling.

temps will fall all day. 10:00 tonight walk scrappy, right? 22 in gaithersburg, 24 in leesburg, 25 in manassas and downtown 28. by morning teens will show up. i think these numbers are high, quite frankly. i think gaithersburg will be more like 16, leesburg more like 15 and 17 in manassas. by 6 a.m. clouds start to roll over i-81, no precipitation. by 9 a.m. 20s across the board. now by lunchtime just see the leading edge of the cold front. some rain initially rolls into western maryland, temperatures in the 30s. 1:00 it's in western maryland across the divide. by 5:00 it's almost across 95. you see the magenta here. a little mixture of rain and snow possible but primarily just light rain showers south of i-66 south of the district and route 50. by 7:00 boom, that's gone.

that's across the bay in a matter of an hour and a half. tonight clear early, very cold again, a few clouds by dawn, lows 14 to 24, wind northeast at 10 by dawn. 18 tonight for a low in rockville, 17 in fairfax. these aren't wind chills. 15 in leesburg, laytonsville, olney, 19 in college park, better by the bay, temperatures there in the mid-20s. day planner, 20s to start downtown temps, 28 by 9:00, clouds start coming in at 11:00, temperatures in the upper 30s. blustery friday. temperatures fall, 30s to start, 20s to finish. still cold saturday but quiet, temperatures in the mid-30s. now next seven days sunday i think we could pretty much bank on precipitation. i think we'll bank on a winter mix at the very least sunday afternoon and sunday night. getting home from the super bowl party will be a little

tricky. colder monday and tuesday, another chance of byrne pr

finally tonight the story

of an awful former ums delivery man who we only -- ups delivery man who we only hope is in a new line of work. >> the video surveillance shows the guy not only throwing packages over the locked gate which broke what was inside, he was also caught on tape taking care of business which let's just say would be better off done indoors. that did not go over so well with that houston homeowner. >> so you're paying someone to take a package from point a to point b. so basically i paid someone to come to my house and pee on it. >> pretty much. ben lucas, not so happy with the response from ups. that's why he posted that surveillance video on their website. that got their attention. ups apologized. replaced the cleaning machine that was damaged and the tossed package and promised him another gift as well. >> i love surveillance cameras. >> they are everywhere. people should start realizing

that. irony it was a cleaning machine. >> that's our broadcast. we're coming back at 11:00, though. >> make it a great night, everybody! >>

[cheering] everything okay? we're here because you're about to have a heart attack. pete's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

the new super bowl ad that warrana ted puppy pulled. >> was the controversial commercial created just as a big, elaborate stunt? >> i am so glad you made it home. >> because i just sold you on this website i built. >> i am curious as to why it's so offensive. >> for godaddy, this could be a good thing. >> and we'll show you other ads that got banned. we'll also explain why super bowl commercials have now shifted from sexy to sentimental. >> then see how kris was confronted after our kim interview about bruce. >> that's really his journey. >> what's the journey? >> plus dan ackroyd joins on the debate over the new all-female "ghostbusters" cast. >> we are also talking tonight to little women l.a.'s pregnant star about some major health risks. >> there are possibilities they would die at birth. >> and see how this news woman went from emmy award winner to drunk and homeless. >> no job and sleeping in a bush.

>> come on, woman, are you kidding me? now "entertainment tonight," we love entertaining people. >> all right. when is an ad featuring an adorable puppy not so cute? when it's one made by godaddy.com because the company has had to pull the spot from the super bowl after it ignited a firestorm of upset viewers. >> a 30-second spot this year at the super bowl cost $4.5 million. so, i mean, if you're willing to make that kind of money you want to make sure you get noticed, whether it's sexy or sentimental or controversial. here's the big question, did it all part of the plan? >> there's nothing funny. there's nothing cute. it'sor a hrible sentiment. >> it seemed like just a spoof of those adorable super bowl